Violet's Escape
by Robert Teague
Summary: The episode "The Beginning of Rainbowland" as seen from Shy Violet's perspective.


Violet's Escape  
  
copyright 2003 by Robert Teague rteague@bellsouth.net  
  
This story was written solely for the entertainment of Rainbow Brite fans, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story may be reproduced, provided no changes are made, and you let me know.  
  
Shy Violet sat on the rock she used as a chair, and surveyed for the millionth time the area where she had been imprisoned by the Evil One so long ago.  
  
It was a small task. Everything remained the way it was, gray and gloomy. The rock and small cave she called home sat at the bottom of a shallow bowl-shaped valley only about 50 feet across, and about 7 feet deep at the bottom. A small pool collected the water from the frequent downpours, and investigation had found a hole too small for her that drained it out, so the valley never flooded. The valley was surrounded with a thorny plant that grew edible berries that supplemented her meager diet provided by sprites enslaved to Murky and Lurky. To ensure she stayed, a large monster had been posted just outside the bushes.  
  
She worried about her friends, the other Color Kids. The sprites hadn't been able to tell her anything about their fates, the few times she'd been able to talk to them for more than a few seconds, except that Canary Yellow was trapped in the Tangle Forest. She found it encouraging that Canary was still alive; it was one of the few bright spots in her drab, colorless life, and gave her hope that some day things would change, and the world would have its colors restored.  
  
Overhead, the dark, forbidding clouds began rumbling, punctuated by flashes of lightning. The storms were unpredictable, and several times she thought she glimpsed a girl on horseback riding the clouds. But that was impossible, wasn't it?  
  
The wind picked up, carrying with it growls and whispers, and an occasional wail that sounded like someone in pain. Suddenly the rain started, a torrential downpour that sent her scurrying to the small cave that had fortunately been there when she had arrived. Inside, it was gray and dark, but at least dry.  
  
The small fire she kept going was almost out, so she added a few of the dry branches she collected for just that purpose when the winds blew them from the dead and dying trees nearby into her valley. The fire flared up illuminating her and the few items she had been able to fashion from available materials.  
  
Glancing around to make sure she was unobserved, Violet tipped up a rock, and picked up her most valuable possession; three violet starsprinkles she had hidden in her shoe when she was captured by the Evil One. They shone and sparkled in her hand, making her feel a little better.  
  
"Some day..." she thought, as she put them safely away. Some day, but not yet. They were the key to her escape. More than once, she had started to use them, and a strong feeling stopped her. A sudden conviction that it wasn't yet the right time. It wasn't scientific, but it seemed right. So she waited.  
  
With nothing else to do, Violet lay down in the least-uncomfortable spot in the cave, and closed her eyes.  
  
As she fell asleep and began to dream, it became the same nightmare that had haunted her many, many times over the years. She had decided the nightmares were sent by the Evil One to torment her.  
  
She and the other Color Kids were fighting the gloom that was spreading everywhere in Rainbowland, and losing. Where was their leader, Rainbow Brite?  
  
Suddenly they found themselves surrounded by huge monsters of all descriptions. The Kids huddled together, knowing they hadn't the power to fight them all.  
  
The monsters closed in tightly, but did not attack. They seemed to be waiting for something.  
  
Then two of them moved aside, and the Kids gasped. There stood their enemy, the King of Shadows. Tall and menacing, the burning eyes in the hidden face glared at them. Behind him stood Murky and Lurky. Murky had a grin on his face, but Lurky looked sad.  
  
"You are beaten," said the Evil One, his voice powerful and harsh.  
  
Red stood forward. "Wh-where is Rainbow Brite?" he demanded, "You'd better tell us."   
  
As an answer, the King brought an object from the folds of his cloak, and let it dangle in front of them. They all recognized it instantly; the Color Belt. A wave of horror swept over them as they realized what it meant. Tears sprang into their eyes as they gazed at it.  
  
Her face pale, and tears running down her cheeks, Patty took two steps toward him. "Y-you...m-monster. You..." Buddy pulled her back, and she didn't resist, but turned and cried on his shoulder. He put his arms around her.   
  
And the King of Shadows laughed. The very sound of it shook the rocks. Suddenly he turned, and threw the Belt into the river which was near at hand. "This world is mine! Now and forever!" he said, with triumph in his voice.  
  
"Come on, into the cage!" said Murky, pointing toward a cage being pulled behind the Grunge Buggy. Crying and holding onto each other, the Kids trudged toward it.  
  
Suddenly, the dream broke up, and Violet opened her eyes. There were tears in them, as usual when she had that dream. She sat up. The dream had ended earlier than usual. Something...  
  
She glanced at the front of the cave, and saw a steady light entering. She got up and ran out. The rain had ended, but the sky was as overcast as ever. Some sticks had blown into the valley, but she ignored them. The rain was collecting into the pool and slowly draining away.  
  
She looked up, and saw a ball of light moving slowly over the land. Adjusting her glasses, she could make out the vague outline of a person in it. Her eyes followed the ball as it lost altitude, and finally disappeared over a low ridge. There was a brief flash of light.  
  
This was it, something told her; this was the sign she had been waiting for!   
  
She memorized where it had landed, then ran back to the cave and got her starsprinkles. "At last!" she thought, as she looked at them. She touched the star on her belt, and the starsprinkles glowed and vanished. The power wouldn't last very long, but she had long since calculated what she had available, and knew it was enough to take her a considerable distance.  
  
She touched the star again, and a violet stripe appeared under her feet. It lifted her up and over the thorn bushes and into the trees. She looked back and realized she had gotten a break; the monster that guarded her was asleep.  
  
The stripe carried her to where she thought the ball of light had landed. Just as she arrived, the stripe wavered and vanished. The starsprinkle's power had run out.  
  
There was nobody around. She looked for footprints, but found none. There was no way of telling which way the person had gone.  
  
She decided to find the Color Cave, and get more violet starsprinkles before looking for the newcomer. She saw the dark and forbidding castle in the distance, and tried to orient herself. But things had changed so much, she wasn't sure of the direction. So she made a 'best guess', and headed that way.  
  
She kept to her course as best she could, dodging the monsters that seemed determined to stay between her and her goal.  
  
Finally she turned a corner and stopped short. Ahead was a grove of huge, old trees with evil faces, and grasping branches. Growls from them could be heard faintly. Then she noticed a small tree with a leering face holding a blue suitcase with a rainbow on the side. It was trying to open it, but not having any luck.  
  
Violet stood and considered how to get it away from the tree. Suddenly, it gave up in disgust and threw it away, where it landed at Violet's feet.  
  
She quickly picked it up and ran away from the grove. The newcomer would certainly want to have this back, she thought.  
  
A few hours later, she walked by a bare tree by a cliff. A small cave was visible ahead. Suddenly, a yellow sprite's head popped out of the cave, looking in her direction with a frightened expression. She and the sprite recognized each other instantly.  
  
"MERRILY!!" said Violet, and ran to meet her. She dropped the suitcase and hugged one of Canary's favorite sprites. The other sprites slowly edged out of the cave, and were relieved to find it was Violet. They clustered around her, hugging her and speaking in low voices.  
  
It started to rain, so they went back inside the cave. Violet sat down, and all the sprites clustered around her.  
  
"Do you know where IQ is?" she asked Merrily.  
  
Merrily shook her head. "No, I don't, I'm sorry," she  
  
said. "Do you know where Canary is? I miss her a lot."  
  
"I was told she's trapped in the Tangle Forest," said Violet.  
  
Merrily and the other sprites gasped. "That's a horrible  
  
place, full of monsters, and vines with long, sharp  
  
thorns. And if you get trapped there, you never get out!"  
  
"I have hope of getting her out. Did any of you see a ball of light today?" asked Violet.  
  
The sprites murmured, and looked nervous.  
  
"Yes, we did. It scared us, and we ran away from it," said Merrily.  
  
"There was a person in it, and I have a feeling it might be the One who will find the Color Belt, and free the land from the Evil One," said Violet.  
  
"Oh, I hope so!" said Merrily, with agreement from the others.  
  
Violet spent the night with the sprites; they all slept better than they had in a long time. The next morning, Violet decided to continue to look for the Color Cave. She asked the sprites to look after the suitcase for a while, and they agreed.   
  
The sprites were unsure where the Color Cave was, so she continued on in the direction she had picked. The path wound down into a broken and tumbled land.  
  
The canyons were a maze of gray, broken rock that might suddenly slip underfoot, or fall down from above. The occasional earthquake created rockslides, and the sudden downpours made temporary rivers that tried to suck her under.  
  
Finally, though, she made it to the end. Ahead was a broken, barren plain stretching to the mountains in the distance. Overhead the clouds hung low, heavy with the threat of more rain.  
  
To the left a cliff of rock suddenly jutted from the ground, rising some hundreds of feet into the air. And there...at the bottom, barely visible, was a cave!  
  
Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled, but it did not rain. She set off across the plain toward the cave. There were tumbled boulders scattered around, so she had some cover.  
  
The closer to the cave she got, the louder the thunder seemed, and the brighter the lightning. Finally, no more than twenty yards separated her from the cave.  
  
A very bright flash of lightning blinded her, and the thunder shook the ground. She blinked and rubbed her eyes until she could see again.  
  
She looked toward the cave, but there, right in front of her, was the Grunge Buggy containing Murky and Lurky! They were looking right at her!  
  
"What are you doing here?" asked Murky.  
  
Violet gave a strangled cry, and turned to run.  
  
"Grab her!" said Murky, and she suddenly found herself caught by her hair.  
  
"Gotcha!" said Lurky.  
  
"Owww!" she protested, as she was dragged back to them. A large, powerful hand gripped her arm. She struggled to get away, but could not.  
  
"Here, tie her up," said Murky, tossing Lurky a rope, "We'll deal with her at the castle."  
  
As the huge, furry being tied her tightly, she suddenly noticed that Murky was carrying, of all things, a baby! But before she could even think of what to ask, she was tossed into the back of the Grunge Buggy.  
  
During the bumpy, jolting trip to the castle, Violet's thoughts kept swinging between wonder at the baby, and the fear of what punishment Murky would give her.  
  
At the castle, the villains went inside; Murky carrying the crying baby, and Lurky with Violet under his arm. Murky disappeared into another room, and came back a minute later without the baby.  
  
"And as for you," he addressed Violet, "I'm going to put you in the Terror Chair!"  
  
Despite her efforts to be brave, Violet cringed and moaned. She didn't know what a Terror Chair was, but it sounded horrible.  
  
"By the time you're released from it, you'll beg to go back to your valley. You'll never want to leave it again!"  
  
With that, the Evil One's henchmen took the gentle girl of science upstairs and into a dark room.  
  
A tall stool stood between two pieces of machinery. They untied her, and put her on the stool. Then they each grabbed a lever, and pulled them up.  
  
At once dark images made of smoke surrounded her. There were monsters, and images of destruction, and other things she wasn't sure of. Claw like arms reached for her, dissipating just before they touched her. The stool turned back and forth, keeping her disoriented.  
  
The villains watched for a minute, then Murky said, "Let's go. A few hours of that, and she'll be no more trouble." They left the room, locking it behind them.  
  
Violet found the display very interesting. The pictures were generated randomly, and she tried hard to work out the science behind it. Once she was sure the creatures wouldn't hurt her, she started having fun!  
  
An unknown amount of time later, Violet heard a voice over the moans, groans, growls and snarls she had been surrounded by.  
  
"You get that one, Twink!" it said. The chair stopped spinning, and the smoke creatures disappeared.  
  
Before her stood a white sprite, and a strange girl in a blue dress with blonde hair, and wearing the Color Belt!  
  
"It was fascinating!" said Violet, "Some kind of random phase generator, coupled with a meson reactor that..."  
  
"Just get those violet starsprinkles," the girl said, tapping her foot impatiently, and gesturing at the window.  
  
Violet hopped off the stool, ran to the window, and leapt over the sill. She missed the narrow ledge and turned, grasping vainly at the stones.  
  
"Oh, no, I have too much momentum!" she said, falling.  
  
Her fall was broken by landing on the back of a white horse. She looked up at the window, where the girl and sprite were looking down at them.  
  
"Starlite!" she heard the girl say.  
  
"I'll get her back to the Color Cave," said the horse, turning and running from the castle.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Violet.  
  
"The other Kids have been freed, and are collecting starsprinkles," Starlite told her.  
  
"Wonderful news, thank you, ...Starlite, was it?" said Violet. "Who is that girl?"  
  
"Her name is Wisp. She found the Color Belt, and freed the Color Kids. But we have to hurry. She'll be fighting the Evil One soon, and you Kids have to be ready!"  
  
They were soon at the Color Cave. Work stopped for a few minutes as the other Kids greeted Violet with hugs and tears.  
  
"Stories will have to wait," said Buddy, "We need to get more starsprinkles."  
  
"You're lucky, Violet. You won't have to do any mining," said Red, as work resumed. He took her back to a wall, and pointed. A bag of violet starsprinkles lay there. She picked it up, and headed for the cave entrance.  
  
A few minutes later, Starlite called to them, "It's the signal! Come on!"  
  
She looked out toward the castle, and saw colored light flashing from the topmost turrets.  
  
Starlite took off, followed by the Color Kids, each carrying a sack of starsprinkles, and ready to help in the Final Battle against the King of Shadows.  
  
The End 


End file.
